US military intercepts fuel vessel supporting drug smuggling in Pacific

The US Southern Command said on Monday that the Joint Task Force for the Western Hemisphere intercepted a floating fuel station on September 7 that was supporting illicit drug trafficking operations in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

In a post on X, Southern Command stated that the individuals removed from the vessel would be handed over to Ecuadorian authorities, and that US forces sank the ship after inspecting it and evacuating its crew.